Thirteen Reasons Why
Thirteen Reasons Why is a well-known Netflix show that is based off of a book. It deals with big issues like suicide in a manner that is questionable through its plot, scenes, and characters. The plot focuses on thirteen tapes that explains the reasons why a high school girl, Hannah Baker, decides to commit suicide. Essentially, this show presented a mystery game. In order to create a real show that raises awareness, I would first discard the tapes concept because it is not crucial to the story. Instead, the show should solely follow Baker’s progression through her life and focus more on the symptoms of depression and the toxic environment that surrounded Baker. This change would allow viewers to be more aware of their own surroundings and prevent it from happening in their communities. Next, I would not introduce the possibilities of a relationship between Clay Jenson and Baker. This simply draws away from the main message of the story and gives the idea that an unskilled person can bring someone out of depression. As an alternative, there should be a scene where Baker is with a psychologist and trying to find stability. Lastly, there should be a more in-depth research and psychology behind why people commit suicide. I recommend to include more reasons because her suicide should not be reduced to thirteen. As for the scenes, they are concerning at times because the demographic is not taken into consideration. Baker’s three minute clip of her slitting her wrists and passing away was unnecessary because this was not even written in the book. Either way, I would definitely not risk offering ideas to the viewers and approach the scene with much more caution. For example, I would have the bathroom door be shot with the same audio on top. Furthermore, I could also just have the same scene, but focus more on her expressions and not pan out to see the whole arm and bathtub. These options gets the message across in a less graphic method. Stepping away from the controversial scene, the characters need to be less stereotyped. Everyone has been through high school and knows how people really are. There are very few students who are either total jocks or nerds. In addition, I recommend that the characters stop contradicting themselves. For example, Alex should not all of a sudden insult his girlfriend if he is portrayed as a respectful person. If the writers wanted to make every nice character have an underlying flaw to them, I would develop the characters a lot better and add depth. As for the actions of these characters, there are some that seem out of place and needs fixing. For example, Zach should have stolen something significant from Baker instead of just a hand drawn bunny picture in order to get revenge. In addition, the mother who saw her son wake up in a sweat should ask the child what is wrong instead of ignoring it. The show needs to take into account how real humans act in certain situations. Category:TV Show